After winning the semi-final, she became the bookmakers' only odds on candidate.

Azerbaijan took second place with Farid Mammadov's emotional ballad Hold Me, the singer's moves mirrored by a dance inside a glass cage in one of several eye-catching performances during the evening.

Crisis-stricken Greece pulled ahead in early voting but soon fell back, calming fears it would have to host the costly event next year.

The country had initially ruled out taking part this year because of the costs involved, but reversed its decision after a private broadcaster stepped in to finance the production of the country's national final.

Greece's song Alcohol Is Free, by Koza Mostra and Agathon Iakovidis, used metaphors to describe Greece's suffering during the economic crisis.

Sweden had pledged to scale back the spectacular music fest after costs soared in recent years, vowing to stage a sparkling show for a fraction of what last year's host Azerbaijan spent.

Some estimates put the price tag for that event at 780 million euros ($1.03 billion).

By comparison, Swedish organisers had a budget of 125 million kronor (14.5 million euros, $19.2 million).